The rumors circulating the globe had led Natasha here. Here being St. Petersburg, Russia. The rumors being that the missing War Veteran, Hermione Granger, had been sighted in St. Petersburg after there had been no sight of her in ten months. By now, Natasha knew if she asked most people on the streets, they would not be able to name the war that Hermione fought in.
But that was only due to some digging that Natasha had done courtesy of the connections SHIELD had. Through those connections specifically with the Magical Congress of the United States of America or MACUSA, it was made available to them that Hermione had been not only a veteran but one of the leading war heroes of the Second Wizarding War overseas. Ten months ago, Hermione had traveled to Australia to see about removing a memory charm she'd placed on her parents the previous September. The last the other top heroes, her best friends Aurors Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, had heard from her was a letter saying she hadn't been able to remove the spell and would be returning to the UK the next day. The two aurors had waited yet another 24 hours after her supposed time of return before raising the alarm. The British Minister of Magic had allowed the two as much time as he could to try to find her before he had no choice but to pull them from the case.
By that point, it had been well determined that if Hermione had been kidnapped during her trip home, either she'd never made it to Britain or the kidnapper had gotten her out of Britain quickly enough before the alarm was raised. While some of their first suspects were easily dropped from the list of wanting revenge due to their either being dead or in Azkaban, it hadn't been ignored that there was just as likely to have still been some underground underlings of the now vanquished Lord Voldemort that were unknown and were still able to grab her. Especially since the previous dark lord before Voldemort, Grindelwald, had managed to drum up supporters across the world for his own cause.
So, with a heavy heart for their beloved War Heroine, the British Ministry of Magic reached out to its equivalent governments around the world for help. While most of the other governments dragged their feet, MACUSA answered immediately. Though unable to spare their own aurors, they tapped SHIELD and the Avengers to search instead, knowing that the Avengers could easily traverse the entire world.
And so, after a debrief that included Harry and Ron both giving input and background on Hermione as well as the type of person who might actually be holding Hermione, the Avengers were given their assignments. Steve would handle the U.S. Natasha would search Russia and France. Tony would have facial recognition going on his computers but also act as backup for Steve and Natasha. Black Panther would cover Africa. And that was how the search went for the last few months, with the team regrouping when other missions came up but also for debriefs to keep everyone on the same page.
Then one month ago, the rumors started of Hermione being sighted in Russia, though most of them had her not being sighted in one place for too long. Usually by the time Natasha could track down the source of the rumors, it was days since the last sighting. But now, Natasha had managed to still be in Russia when the rumor of Hermione's appearance in St. Petersburg started circulating. It was five days since the rumor started and there was still fresh talk which meant the witch was being seen more than the one time.
There were two things that puzzled Natasha as she investigated. Everyone she questioned always reported seeing Hermione by herself and that the woman didn't seem like she was in danger or being watched by a captor. And yet, not once did Hermione try to head back home nor get in touch with her loved ones.
The first was that Hermione was intentionally trying to disappear without a trace and distance from her friends for some particular reason that either Harry and Ron didn't know or that they neglected to mention on purpose so they didn't look bad. In that case, if the two men purposely left out such information so as to not make themselves look bad, that would make things even worse for them as far as they were concerned being that both men were aurors.
The other possible conclusion was that something had happened to Hermione that caused the woman to get amnesia. And due to the amnesia, Hermione was likely unconsciously still trying to return home and just wasn't quite making it. Natasha relayed the findings back to SHIELD before adding that she would observe Hermione for a few days once she actually managed to get sight of Hermione to get a better idea of what was going on with the woman.
It took Natasha four days to really get an idea of what was going on. The first having been just to actually find her. The other three were spent following her from a distance and learning the boundaries. It took one time of having been close enough at a distance to set Hermione's instincts off, causing Hermione to draw her wand and point it in Natasha's direction, even though she couldn't see Natasha by the time she turned around. It was a response that the Avengers had already been warned was likely to happen as a result of fighting the Wizarding War.
On the fifth day, Natasha had moved too close again without realizing it.
"You've been following me?" Hermione asked.
Natasha held her hands up in surrender. "I mean you no harm. You have my word."
"Who are you?" Hermione narrowed her eyes and kept her wand trained.
"Natasha Romanoff. Now, can we go somewhere else to talk more privately?" Natasha inquired. "For your safety. You can keep your weapon on me if it helps."
Hermione thought for a moment then looked around and nodded. "My home will suffice. Walk with me."
Natasha lowered her hands and stepped up to stand side by side with Hermione.
Hermione kept her wand pointed at Natasha and started walking towards what she knew to be a wooded area. Natasha followed her in confusion as she didn't see any sign of a house in that direction, just empty land.
"How far is your home, if you don't mind my asking?" Natasha questioned.
"It's not that far, just in the w-" Her eyes grew big as if she had just realized something. "My home is in the clearing in the woods." She murmured, just loud enough for Natasha to still be able to hear.
As if the murmured phrase was a spell, the woods that Hermione said her home was in began to reveal itself to Natasha's eyes, taking the place of the bare land that had been ahead of them before. Natasha couldn't help but look on with wonder at the sight before her. If Natasha hadn't already been used to magic and didn't already believe in it, the sudden appearance of the woods would've definitely had her believing in it. The Russian remained in silent awe and contemplation for the entirety of the walk through the woods.
Eventually, they reached the quaint little cottage that Hermione had been calling home during her time in Russia. Hermione opened the door and let Natasha walk in first. Natasha looked around at the simple, yet homey decor before finally taking a seat in the living room. Hermione soon followed, taking a seat opposite her.
"So, why Natasha, have you been following me?" Hermione questioned.
"It is part of my assignment, Hermione." Natasha began. "I know who and what you are, even if I've now reached the conclusion that you do not remember what you are."
"Your assignment? And what is it that you are so sure that I am?" Hermione pressed.
"You, Hermione Granger, are a witch. Specifically one from the hidden Wizarding community in Britain." Natasha chuckled. "I am with two American organizations. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. Both organizations were tapped through the MACUSA on behalf of the British Ministry of Magic to help find you. You've been considered missing for ten months now."
"Is that so?" Hermione sat back. "Now I wonder just why a wizarding form of government would go to such lengths to track me down."
"Because you are very important to them. And your unconscious self knows it." Natasha explained. "You are a war heroine. Having been at the center of a huge wizarding war. Along with two others, who were the real people to raise the alarm upon your being missing."
"Do you have pictures of those two people?" Hermione asked.
"I do." Natasha smiled as she pulled out two photos. "They've been your best friends since your school days." She handed over the photo of a young man with dark, messy hair, green eyes and glasses. "This one is Harry Potter."
Hermione took the photo and looked at it, smiling softly. "Super lucky, that one." She murmured before handing the photo back.
Natasha caught Hermione's comment about Harry's photo but said nothing. Instead, she handed over the other one showing a red-haired man with blue eyes and freckles. "And this is Ron Weasley."
It was Hermione's reaction to seeing Ron's photo that raised a silent alarm to Natasha. Instead of smiling like she did upon seeing Harry's photo or even showing no sign of remembering Ron at all, Hermione's eyes showed nothing but total fear as the woman froze in that fear. Natasha noticed and knew immediately she had to make a call. But first, she needed to get the photo from Hermione. Just as Natasha reached out to touch it, the photo burst into flames and burned quickly in Hermione's fingers without burning Hermione at all.
"Hermione...are you alright?" Natasha gently pressed.
"Hmm...yeah. I'm fine." Hermione gingerly held her head. "I think I need to lie down for a moment."
"Go on and lie down. I'll stay here and will wake you if something happens." Natasha encouraged her. "At most, I'll just make a phone call but I won't leave the house. I promise."
Hermione nodded in gratitude. "Feel free to get something from the kitchen if you get hungry or thirsty." She stood and headed back to her bedroom to go lay down for a while.
Natasha watched as Hermione left the room and listened for the moment Hermione was asleep before pulling out her phone and calling Coulson.
"This is Coulson." He answered. "What's the update?"
"It's quite the update. I'm with her now actually. She caught me tailing her and so I had no choice. Potter was definitely right about her instincts. I've talked with her. She's likely gotten amnesia with some slight instinctual triggers."
"Triggers outside of what we were warned about?" Coulson questioned.
"Exactly. I showed her pictures of both Potter and Weasley. With Potter's, she smiled fondly even murmured about him being a lucky one with remembrance in her voice, regardless of if she noticed or not. When she saw Weasley's photo however, that's the troubling one. She froze in absolute terror. Before I could get the picture away from her, she caused it to burst into flames. Weasley's done something to her and it's likely the cause of her amnesia. He needs to be questioned away from Potter."
Coulson sighed. "Sounds like you're right. Every time he's been questioned so far, it's always been with Potter right next to him."
"Also, ask Potter what he knows of a spell that could hide places from sight from someone until a phrase is told to them." Natasha revealed. "It seems that Hermione has managed something just like that unconsciously."
"Will do." Coulson agreed. "I'll let you know what comes of this."
"Good. One more thing, see if it's possible that a dedicated person can potentially help her retrieve her memories since hers weren't forgotten by magic." Natasha asked
"Got it. Keep me posted." Coulson hung up.
Natasha sighed as she put her phone away. It wasn't long after Natasha put her phone away that she heard screaming from Hermione's room. Natasha instantly ran for Hermione's room, of the belief that Hermione was in danger. Her weapon drawn, she burst into the room ready to fire as she looked around. What she found was Hermione thrashing and screaming on the bed, caught in a nightmare. She put her weapon down and went over to the bed.
"Hermione...Hermione, wake up." She urged as she began shaking Hermione.
"No! Please! We haven't been in your vault!" Hermione cried out in her sleep.
"Hermione!" Natasha shook her a bit rougher.
Hermione's eyes shot open as she sat up panting.
"You're okay. You're safe. You're home and safe and no one's hurting you." Natasha reassured as she gently pulled the other woman into her arms and rubbed her back.
Hermione started sobbing hysterically in Natasha's embrace. "Nat...I remember everything."
Natasha tensed at hearing the shortened form of her name. There had only been one person she'd allowed to call her that. "Everything?" She asked.
"Everything. All my years at school, the war, you...and what he did to me." Hermione said.
"What who did to you?" Natasha pressed, having a feeling she already knew.
"Ron. I'd asked him to meet me at one of those lookout points on cliffs upon my return from Australia. I'd told him that he and I couldn't be together and that after a week, I was going to start trying to find you. To rekindle things between us. He didn't take kindly to that." Hermione sniffled. "Told me I belonged with him and that if he couldn't have me, then he wasn't going to give you a chance he shoved me off the cliff, likely wanting to kill me by muggle means. I hit my head against the cliff repeatedly in the fall, and that must've caused me to have amnesia."
"That's horrible." Natasha closed her eyes to calm herself. "But Hermione, how can you be so sure it was me you wanted to find?"
Hermione's answer was to sit up and point her wand at a set of photos sitting on the dresser across from her. What looked to once be stock images instead turned into what were essentially three different pictures of Natasha and Hermione all dressed up out somewhere talking, drinking and eating. Natasha let Hermione go before she stood up and walked over to the dresser and picked up one of the photos, letting out a gasp as she took a closer look at Hermione in the picture.
"Mia…." Natasha looked at her in confusion.
"I'm sorry I lied to you about something as simple as my name, Nat. But there was still danger left over from the war. Not all of Voldemort's surviving followers had been rounded up." Hermione explained.
"And by giving me a fake name, I had a higher chance of remaining safe should they question me about your whereabouts." Natasha finished with a smile. "It is alright. I understand. However, it doesn't explain why I hadn't recognized you right away."
"Another fail-safe I enacted." Hermione blushed. "For both our sakes really. To give us each a chance to be happy if we never found each other again."
Natasha nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm glad we did find each other again. Even if this wasn't exactly the reunion either of us had in mind. But can we really make this work? Being so busy all of the time?"
"We'll make it work." Hermione answered. "However we need to, we'll manage it." She walked over to Natasha with a smile.
Natasha pulled her close and gently kissed her. "We will. We have to get the whole thing finished up first so you can actually return home and be safe. I have others set to talk to Weasley and to check with Potter." She sighed. "I should've known something was off about it. In the ways they held themselves when questioned about you. Harry always had deep concern, in a brotherly way, while talking about you. Ronald gave this air like he cared just enough."
Hermione nodded. "Sadly, it does sound too much like them."
Right at that moment, Natasha's phone rang. Natasha stepped back slightly from Hermione to answer it. "Black Widow."
"You were right to be suspicious of Weasley, Romanoff." Coulson started. "He confessed to what he did, stating he wasn't going to let some woman take his well-deserved wife." The disgust was obvious in his voice.
"That's attractive." Natasha dead-panned. "But that matches with what I got from Hermione. She's regained her memories and told me. What did Potter say?"
"That she's managed to unconsciously put up what they call a fidelius and made herself the secret-keeper. It's why she had to tell you where she lived before you could see it." Coulson explained. "That's the nature of the charm. He also wasn't happy with the news about Weasley. He went to his superior and let the superior handle having Weasley arrested. Word is the Wizarding world isn't too happy someone tried to off their war heroine and are rejoicing in Weasley's arrest."
"Good." Natasha chuckled. "So it's safe to bring her home?"
"I'd say so. But probably should wait it out a couple of days to be safe." Coulson admitted.
"Will do. Let's make arrangements in a couple of days. I'll refuse to deliver her to anyone but Potter." Natasha stated.
"Got it. Talk to you then." Coulson hung up.
Natasha put her phone away before looking at Hermione. "Things are settled for now. We'll get you back home in a couple of days."
"Is that so?" Hermione smirked. "Well, how about we make use of those two days beginning to make up for lost time." She pulled Natasha close.
"I have no problems with that." Natasha grinned and kissed her passionately.
The two women moved back to the bed and spent the next two days reacquainting themselves intimately with each other, relaxing before they'd have to return to life and get Hermione home.